


New Year

by Megatraven



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: F/F, Fluff, Identity Reveal, mlsecretsanta 2k18
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-31
Updated: 2018-12-31
Packaged: 2019-10-01 05:07:53
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,734
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17237969
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Megatraven/pseuds/Megatraven
Summary: During a late night visit to Marinette, certain truths come to light- and Rena couldn't be happier.





	New Year

**Author's Note:**

  * For [a-legit-wren on tumblr](https://archiveofourown.org/gifts?recipient=a-legit-wren+on+tumblr).



> My piece for the @mlsecretsanta exchange, some alyanette (specifically renanette) fluff for @a-legit-wren! I hope you like this okay! O: I was gonna do art with it, but ran out of time ;o;; I hope you’ve had a nice holiday! <3

As Paris lay sleeping underneath a neat blanket of snow, fireworks long since passed, a heroine of the city was free to settle in on her favorite rooftop for the rest of her patrol.

Her breathing came easily, the warmth of it making it visible in the cool air. She shivered, just a bit, and leaned back against a chimney, watching over the building’s edge to see her favorite person, still awake and brimming with energy as she danced around her room, fabrics nearly flying at the speed of her work.

It would have been comical, if Rena Rouge weren’t so smitten with everything her friend did. Where others might scoff or be critical of how late she was up, Rena could only bring herself to smile at the sight- she’d known Marinette far too long to know this was a norm for the designer. A cute, kind of ridiculous norm.

Rena’s fox ears twitched, and her gaze zeroed in on Marinette tripping over a trail of fabric dangling from her arms and falling into a basket of laundry she hadn’t yet folded.

Laughter bubbled to the hero’s lips, and despite the distance between her and Marinette, the other girl seemed to look up at it, her eyes looking out through the window to spy Rena across the way. She looked surprised, at first, but when Rena waved, a smile spread across her face, and she shoved her clothes down to help herself up.

She disappeared for a moment, but soon resurfaced from the hatch in her balcony, hands cupping to her face. “Rena Rouge! Hi! Why don’t you come over?” she called out, and gestured for the hero to join her. Without waiting for an answer, she disappeared back into her room, the hatch left open.

Really, Rena would have to be stupid to decline the offer. So that’s how she found herself climbing down into Marinette’s room, careful not to get snow all over the bed that met her the moment she came in.

Curiously, Marinette was gone again, but the rummaging coming from below gave way to her location.

Hopping over the bed’s railing and falling to the floor, Rena peered over at Marinette, who was busy tossing aside a bunch of little knickknacks that Rena recognized as gifts Marinette had received from Christmas. 

Finally, she pulled out a slightly-crumpled gift, still wrapped in the pretty pink paper that she’d used for Alya’s gift. (And by that, she meant only Alya’s- the paper she’d used for all their other classmates had been hero-themed.)

“Ah ha!” she announced, standing up triumphantly with the gift held out to Rena. “I haven’t had a chance to give you this yet, so I’m really glad I caught you!”

“Oh! Um, I... didn’t bring anything for you,” Rena replied, a little flustered. She shifted her weight from one foot to the other and grinned sheepishly.

Sure, she worked with Marinette a couple of times here and there, when she was the target of an akuma or got caught in the middle of a battle. And, sure, they hung out on the rare occasion neither could sleep.

But did that qualify them as friends? Like, on the level that they got each other gifts? Rena was already biased on that front, being Marinette’s best friend out of costume, but when she was Rena Rouge, she’d tried to keep things professional.

(Maybe checking up on Marinette after the new year had passed was a little less than professional, so sue her.)

“That’s alright! I wasn’t expecting anything in return, really. I just wanted to get you something to show how much I appreciate you.” Marinette beamed at her, and pushed the gift into her hands, in the way that was so very Marinette.

“Thanks so much,” she said, although she felt a little bit guilty. It didn’t seem fair for Alya to get  _another_  gift from Marinette- one she was sure her friend had handmade, just like her other gifts.

With gentle hands, her claws pulled the wrapping paper away, revealing spots of orange under its surface. When it’s all torn off, Rena is met with a scarf and hat.

The hat is a softer orange than the bold orange that makes up her costume, and is in the style of a beanie. Little fox ears poke up from the fold of the hat, and a little fox face is sewn into it.

The scarf, on the other hand, is long and flowing, its orange turning into white at the ends. She’s certain that when she puts it on, it’ll look just like twin fox tails coming from her.

They’re both soft, and it’s obvious that a lot of care went into these. She’s so entranced by the kindness of her best friend, that she almost misses the way Marinette’s looking at her- like she was the world. It made her heart flutter in her chest and stole her breath away.

She vaguely wondered if Marinette ever looked at Alya like that.

“Thank you, Marinette. They’re... they’re perfect. I love them, I- I don’t know what to say.” And, truthfully, she didn’t. There weren’t enough words to express her gratitude, her reverence.

“I’m glad you like them,” she said, ever so sweet. Her smile made Rena’s actual tail sway back and forth. “I figure it probably gets cold out there, even for you guys, right?” There was a flash of something in her eyes that told Rena she already knew the answer, but how she could know was a mystery.

“Yeah, it gets pretty chilly. The suits protect us from the brunt of the cold, but we still feel some of it,” Rena answered, glancing back down to the gifts in her hands.

Not only were they made so carefully and with heart, but there was thought put into them too. Which didn’t surprise Rena, really, but it did make her gain even more appreciation for her friend. And, maybe, she fell a little more in love with her just then.

“Then I’m glad I made what I did! You’ll wear them, wont you?”

“Of course! I’ll be putting them on the moment I leave!”

Marinette clapped her hands together before throwing her arms around Rena. “Great! I’m so excited to see you use them, you’ll look  _amazing_ , A-” She cut herself off with an obviously fake cough and pulled back. “You’ll look amazing, Rena.”

It may have been a trick of the light, but Rena swore Marinette was blushing when she pulled away. The thought set her own cheeks ablaze, and she awkwardly rubbed her arm and looked around the room.

“So, uh, what’re you working on?” she asked, eyes settling on the project Marinette had on her mannequin.

“Oh! It’s a surprise for my best friend.” Marinette walked over to the mannequin and lifted the fabric in a few places. She looked over at Rena Rouge and gave her a knowing look. “What do you think? She’ll love it, yeah?”

The moment it left Marinette’s mouth that this was supposed to be a surprise for her-  _Alya_  her- Rena wanted to look away. It’d make her feel terrible already knowing about it. But, try as she might, she couldn’t come up with an excuse to look away that wouldn’t be rude or an obvious lie. And as much as she wished she could let Marinette in on her secret, she would never betray Ladybug’s trust in her.

So, she took [the dress](http://nafdress.com/assests/images/sherri-hill-short-prom-dress-2012-sherri_hill_21200_red_nude_21200_f13_7jpg-8829569.jpg) in in all its glory, and was stunned into silence.

She may not know much about sewing and design, despite being the best friend to a fashion designer in the making, but she knew the dress before her had to have taken so much work. (She briefly recalls how often Marinette’s been coming to class with bandages on her fingers- not for lack of care, but that’s just what happened when she got in the zone a little too much.)

Rena swallowed down a lump forming in her throat and managed a response. “Y-yeah, she’s gonna love it. I mean, how couldn’t someone love this? It’s gorgeous and- and so lovely!” Before she could stop herself, she blurted out, “What’s the occasion?”

At this, Marinette’s smile grew wider, and Rena felt her heart actually skip a beat. She let the fabric fall through her fingers and approached Rena, perhaps a little closer than was friendly.

“Oh, it’s very special. See, you know how Hawk Moth was defeated like... what was it, a couple months ago now?” Marinette asked. Obviously they both knew the answer- it was impossible to live in Paris and  _not_  know how it all happened, and when.

“Yeah, that’s about right.” Rena had no idea where this was headed.

“Well... I’ve been talking with someone, and he finally agreed to something I’ve been trying to convince him of for  _ages_. And since Hawk Moth’s gone, he was finally open to listening. Anyways...” She looked back at the dress for a moment before turning back to the hero and grabbing her hands. Oh yeah, she was definitely blushing now. “I thought it’d be nice if the best friend and hopefully-girlfriend of Ladybug wore her color. It’s kinda like a secret statement to the world,” she said, starting to ramble now, but Rena was caught on the sentence before that.

Best friend of Ladybug?  _Girlfriend_  of ladybug? Wearing her color... red? The dress? Her?  _Alya?_  Which would make Marinette...

“Ladybug?”

Marinette stopped in her rambling and had the gall to look sheepish. “Surprise?”

Rena didn’t even respond right away, instead enveloping Marinette in a great hug that lifted her from the ground, and spun her around, laughter bubbling up from her.

When she finally settled down, and Marinette was pressed lightly against her chest, Rena was struck with something: the realization she had something to give to Marinette after all.

With barely a moment of hesitation, she looked into her best friends face and, ever so tenderly, with the love and affection she’s held onto for so long, she kissed Marinette.

Soft, sweet, and perfect. A balm to soothe what was bound to be a whirlwind of emotion when came the time for them to really settle down and unpack all their superhero baggage.

But that was for later. For now, they were content to explore the love they shared at long last.


End file.
